Agencies | Newyork:
Officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) have called for sanctions against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and urged Washington not to extend high-level diplomatic courtesies or meetings to its leaders.
The remarks came ahead of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s proposed visit to New York on August 29 for the ‘Universal Oneness Celebrations’, organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD).
In a post on X, the USCIRF shared comments by Commissioner Gene Mills, who referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s association with the RSS and alleged that organisations affiliated with the group have been linked to attacks against religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims.
“India’s PM Modi is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), an Indian umbrella organization whose sub-groups have perpetrated attacks on religious minorities, incl. Christians & Muslims. Now the RSS leader, Mohan Bhagwat, plans to visit the US,” the post said.
Mills further argued that RSS leaders should not be accorded high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies, including when they have links to the Indian government.
“RSS leaders, even when affiliated with the Indian govt, should not be honored with high-level meetings or diplomatic courtesies,” Mills said, calling on the US government to consider sanctions against RSS members allegedly responsible for violations of freedom of religion or belief.
The remarks have also drawn criticism from the advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights, which opposed Bhagwat’s proposed visit and argued that the event could not be separated from allegations of violence against Muslims and Christians involving organisations within the broader RSS network.
“A celebration of ‘oneness’ cannot conceal the politics of religious supremacy,” the group said in a post on X.
The latest comments follow USCIRF’s annual report released in March, in which the commission criticised India over alleged violations of religious freedom and recommended targeted sanctions against individuals and organisations, including the RSS and Research and Analysis Wing.
The Indian government has rejected USCIRF’s assessments, accusing the commission of presenting a “distorted and selective” picture of the country based on what it described as “questionable sources and ideological narratives”.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, in a statement on March 16, said the commission should move beyond what he termed “selective criticism” of India and instead examine incidents involving vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States, as well as what he described as the selective targeting of India and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the US.
The latest exchange has added another layer to ongoing disagreements between New Delhi and the USCIRF over religious freedom in India, with Bhagwat’s proposed US visit bringing the issue into renewed focus.
